


Special

by prouvairecateur



Category: Les Misérables (2012), Les Misérables - All Media Types, Les Misérables - Schönberg/Boublil, Les Misérables - Victor Hugo
Genre: M/M, Piningjolras, WHAT MORE COULD YOU WANT?, enjolras tries to flirt, grantaire is a musician, probably much more but that is beside the point
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2013-06-28
Updated: 2013-06-28
Packaged: 2017-12-16 10:35:23
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,202
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/861075
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/prouvairecateur/pseuds/prouvairecateur
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>The man played for about five more minutes, before he raised his head to look around at the people watching him. His smile was infectious as he thanked the spectators and packed up. For a brief moment, he met Enjolras’ stare and his smile grew. He stood and tipped an invisible hate at Enjolras, then headed toward the tracks where a subway was making its stop.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Special

**Author's Note:**

  * For [ratedgrandr](https://archiveofourown.org/users/ratedgrandr/gifts).



> Something I wrote for a fic exchange on tumblr. I will most likely make this multi-chaptered.

Enjolras doesn’t take the subway often. He much preferred to walk, but today he was too tired to make the three mile trek to his apartment. He had been running around all day, making sure everything was ready for their important protest this weekend. After eight hours of being on his feet non-stop, he just wanted to get home and rest his feet.

Unfortunately, he would have to wait a while. The last subway that would be stopping near his place wouldn’t be leaving for about an hour. He worked hard to keep from getting angry by checking the emails on his phone. 

He could hear music playing from about thirty feet away. He rolled his eyes, thinking it must have been some homeless musician looking for a quick buck. As he listened closely, he realized that this was not your average street musician. His voice was soft with a slight edge to it, not to mention his guitar playing skills were impeccable. Enjolras found himself making his way closer to where the music was coming from. 

A man was sitting against a wall nearby, guitar in hand. Most people simply passed by, but a few were standing around watching him play. He was looking down and his head was bobbing with the music. The man was fairly well-dressed. His look and sound didn’t really fit the location. Enjolras thought he looked more like a lounge singer and his music definitely reflected that. He couldn’t help but watch the man play and wonder why he was singing at a subway station. 

He noticed that the dark-haired man didn’t have a hat or his guitar case open for any money. Enjolras raised his eyebrow at this. The man was playing music for the sake of purely entertaining people? This was not a common occurence in a subway station in New York. He couldn’t help but smile. 

The man played for about five more minutes, before he raised his head to look around at the people watching him. His smile was infectious as he thanked the spectators and packed up. For a brief moment, he met Enjolras’ stare and his smile grew. He stood and tipped an invisible hate at Enjolras, then headed toward the tracks where a subway was making its stop. 

For some strange reason, Enjolras followed the man onto the subway, barely making it in before the doors slid closed. The musician had opted to stand about three meters away and was making idle chat with an older woman sitting next to him. This woman seemed to know him and was showing him a piece of paper that she had pulled from her purse. Enjolras sat down as close as he could to the man, without drawing his attention. 

He watched the pair chat the entire ride and couldn’t stop himself from smiling at the interaction in front of him. He felt a tap from the person sitting next to him. It was a girl about his age with long brown hair and a friendly face. “Do you know Grantaire?” she asked, motioning in the direction of the man he had previously been watching. 

“Um, not really.” He looked over at the man, Grantaire. The name fit him well.  
When he turned back to the young woman, she was giving him a coy smile. “He’s a good kid. We grew up together. He had a pretty rough childhood, but he came out of it well enough. I will say, though, he does have a bit of a drinking problem.”

Enjolras frowned. “Why are you telling me all of this?”

“Correct me if I’m wrong, but you seemed to like watching him.” 

“Yeah. I mean, he was playing music at the station.” Enjolras was blushing and he was stumbling over his words. He peeked over at the man again. Grantaire was laughing at something the woman was saying, his head thrown back, exposing his neck. Enjolras pushed all of the thoughts from his head and looked down at his hands. “He was really good.”

The girl laughed and nodded. “He’s great. Grantaire’s been playing and singing ever since I could remember. It’s always been a means of escape for him from his family life. He went to an art school a few years back, but he dropped out when his parents cut him off financially. It’s a shame; he is such a talented artist. He likes to play at the bar where he works, when they don’t have any gig booked. He rarely ever performs for money- says it doesn’t feel right to charge anything more than a smile.” 

The subway was slowing down at its stop. “I think he’s playing tonight. You said he was playing before? That was probably his warm up.” She laughed and looked over at her friend. 

“Where does he play?” Enjolras inquired. They had come to a stop now and people were loudly gathering their things and heading off the subway. Enjolras kept Grantaire in his sights the whole time.

“It should be just a few blocks away.” She looked him over. Enjolras had been wearing a button-down shirt with a dark jacket over it. “This can’t be your usual stop. I mean, it’s obvious that you don’t live on this side of town.”

“Why do you say that?”

“Because I am pretty sure one month’s rent for your apartment is about twice as much as my entire year’s rent.” She didn’t sound upset when she said this. If anything she seemed surprised. “Grantaire’s luckier than I thought.” 

Before Enjolras could ask her what she meant, the woman gave a mock salute and disappeared into the crowd exiting. He heaved a sigh. Enjolras was able to spot the top of Grantaire’s guitar case sticking out above the crowd and decided to follow it. As the crowd began to thin, it became easier for Enjolras to see just where the musician was going. 

It was a small club about a quarter of a mile away from the stop. There were neon beer advertisements on the windows and he could hear people yelling loudly from the inside. Grantaire had stopped just outside the entrance and was talking to a man. They seemed to know each other and were joking about something, because they would playfully hit each other every so often. 

The thing that Enjolras thought was so intriguing about the man was that he seemed to be the type of person that was friends with everyone. The people at the subway stop were not only drawn to the music, but to Grantaire himself, just as Enjolras was. The woman he talked to on the subway cared for him dearly and had such kind things to say about him. He had an effortlessness to him that was clear when he was speaking with the elderly woman and now this man. Enjolras hadn’t even spoken a word to Grantaire and yet there was this pull to do so.

Enjolras waited until the man had entered the club before he did so as well. It was almost smaller on the inside and was very crowded, which was to be expected on a Friday night. Not knowing exactly where to go, he took a sit at the bar and ordered a water. 

His eyes scanned the room for any sign of the man, but he had altogether disappeared. When the water came, he downed it quickly and started tapping the glass nervously against the counter. The bartender looked at him with a concerned expression, but Enjolras just smiled and returned to tapping the glass. 

He was beginning to realize how stupid he was for following a stranger all the way to some bar he knew nothing about. Now he had no idea where the man went and he was sitting all alone. Not to mention he was tired and had most definitely missed the last subway back to his apartment. All for some guy he had seen playing music at the station. This was not typical Enjolras behavior; to be honest he could not say what had gotten into him when he decided to get on that train. 

He just knew that there was something about this man. Something that made him act in ways he wouldn’t. He wanted to know more about Grantaire, wanted to hear him sing again. 

Enjolras put a hand to his head to check for any signs of a fever. Clearly he was sick with the way he had been thinking recently. There must be some explanation as to why he was suddenly so infatuated with a man he had seen for the first time just an hour ago. 

The bartender brought another glass of water and asked if he was okay. Enjolras just waved him off, saying he was fine, and held the cold glass to his head. He was still doing so when he heard a voice come from a microphone behind him. Enjolras turned around, glass still against his head, to see Grantaire sitting on a stool in the corner of the room, his guitar in hand. He was smiling as he introduced himself to the people in the bar. 

At that moment, he looked to Enjolras. The blond could feel his heart race, as the man’s blue eyes stared right at him. Grantaire smirked and it was then that Enjolras realized he still had the glass of water held to his head. 

By the time he had placed the water on the counter and turned back to Grantaire, the man was playing a song. This song was quiet and had a sweet melody. Everyone went silent when Grantaire began to sing. His voice echoed through the room and grabbed everyone’s attention instantly. Enjolras could tell he was wearing a goofy grin, as he watched the man play. 

His eyes never left Grantaire for the entirety of the performance. He watched when the man would close his eyes and just let the music take over. He watched the way his hands glided along the instrument. He watched his feet tapping against the wooden floor as he played an upbeat tune, causing the audience to clap in time with him. 

When Grantaire finished, he left the stage and a young woman took his place. She was good, but her voice was okay at best compared to Grantaire’s. He watched her sing with very little enthusiasm, checking his phone every so often. It was late, and he knew he should be headed home to prepare for tomorrow.

“Can I get you anything?” Enjolras spun around quickly to see Grantaire behind the counter, a towel draped over his shoulder. So he was a bartender too. He was giving Enjolras the same bright smile he had when he saw him at the subway stop. Now that they were closer, he could see that the man’s teeth were slightly crooked and he had a slight gap between two in the front. It was endearing. “You okay?”

Enjolras had been caught staring and flushed in embarrassment. “I’m fine, thank you.”

He could have sworn he heard Grantaire utter, “Yes, you are,” under his breath. He frowned, but decided not to say anything in case he was wrong. He concluded that he was correct when the dark-haired man looked up and gave him a playful wink. “So, do you usually follow people you see playing music at the subway station?”

Enjolras didn’t know how to answer. He had never been so embarrassed in his life. This man had made him feel so many things all at once, and the last thing he wanted to do was come across as a crazy stalker. “Not usually.”

“So, I am special.” It wasn’t a question. 

“I guess you are.” What had gotten into Enjolras tonight? This man was making him behave so strangely. Why was he saying these things? Was he flirting? Enjolras had never flirted with anyone before in his life, but now he was flirting with Grantaire. He would be lying if he said he didn’t enjoy it just a bit. 

“I can’t blame you,” Grantaire chuckled, placing a beer in front of Enjolras. “Here, you look like you need this. My treat.”

Enjolras took it gratefully, glad to have a reason not to open his mouth again. Grantaire took to wiping off the bar, glancing over at Enjolras every once in a while. The second he placed the empty bottle on the counter, Grantaire was there with another one. “Never introduced myself- the name’s Grantaire. I also go by R.” Enjolras tipped the bottle at him in a form of salute. “Do you have a name, handsome?”

Enjolras swallowed with a grimace and choked his name out for the man to hear. He cleared his throat and set the bottle down, spinning it around in his hands. “You can’t possibly make much of a profit if you give out free drinks to every stranger that comes this way.”

Grantaire smiled and leaned closer to the blond, his breath fanning across Enjolras’ face. His mouth was so close that Enjolras only had to lean in an inch to capture the man’s lips with his own. “What can I say? You’re special.”


End file.
